BUSINESS PROFILE SUCCESS_ at times, and different lines at other times. It’s important to have someone to bring you backif you’re going downthewrongpath. mixing family and business down to a fine art. And none more so than Andrew andMichael. The key to it, says Andrew, is understanding the importance of having specific roles. “I look at the management of the business day-to-day,” he says. “One of us has to be there keeping an eye on things. Michael has a very astute eye in regards to finding and developing property in the right places.” Or, asMichael himself puts it: “I’mmore conceptual and Andrew is good at details.” The brothers needed both those elements, With Michael’s (left) ability to spot ideal property development areas and Andrew’s management skills, it’s no surprise the Buxton brothers hit the big-timewith their idea. keep the business small,” explains Andrew with a short laugh. Today MAB is responsible for some of Melbourne’s largest and most innovative residential, retail and industrial developments – including the Anchorage Apartments in Port Melbourne, NewQuay at Docklands and University Hill in Bundoora. As Michael puts it, property development “is in the blood – it’s just what we do”. Going into business with family and friends is also a part of the Buxton heritage. Prior to startingMAB with Andrew in 1995, Michael was in a development business with a friend, Max Beck, while Andrew and another Buxton brother, Tom, had a road-making and quarry business. In fact, the Buxtons in real estate and property can be traced right back to 1860. It looks like they have the science of 116 VIRGINBLUE as well as persistence and determination, to win the bid for Docklands, the events precinct, in 1999 – and it was the one timeMichael thought, “Maybe we’ve bitten off more than we can chew”. He admits, “It took us two years to bid for it and we had no income fromthe rest of our business. It was a big punt.” While somemight consider going into business with their big brother an equally large punt, Andrew believes their relationship works for them. “We have trust in each other, and that’s whatmakes it work,” he says. “We think along the same lines at times, and different lines at other times. It’s important to have someone to bring you back if you’re going down the wrong path.” Building on brotherly love 1 ::Make sure you’re coming fromthe same direction. Andrew and Michael both completed owner/president management program courses at Harvard University. Michael believes their education in the same method of management helps them resolve business issues. 2 :: Play to your strengths. “The combination ofmy concepts and ideas with Andrew’s discipline and finetuning of details went a long way in helping us win the Docklands bid inMelbourne,” saysMichael. 3 :: Don’t live in each other’s pockets – and don’t talk business at family functions. We think along the same lines ?